Pressed clothes bagger



July 5, 1938. G. L. WHITLEY PRESSED CLOTHES BAGGER Filed July 19, 1957 Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRESSED CLOTHES BAGGER leigh, N. C.

Application July 19, 1937, Serial No. 154,519

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a pressed clothes bagger. In those clothes cleaning and pressing establishments Where hundreds of suits are renovated a great deal of time is lost in inserting clothes on a hanger in bags due to the fact that the bags neatly fit the clothes and a great deal of difficulty is experienced in forcing the hook of the hanger through a small opening in the top of the bag and then drawing the bag down over the clothes. In order to overcome this difilculty it has been proposed to provide a cumbersome device for pulling the clothes into a bag by an operating mechanism that must be controlled by one hand but the construction is such that the operator is required to use both hands in maintaining the bag in position when the clothes .are drawn into the bag. Furthermore, a great :deal of dimculty is had in applying the hook to the removable means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple yet efficient device which will properly support the hanger on which clothes have been applied with means for moving the bag over the clothes after the bag had been sufficiently elevated above the clothes for the lower end of the bag to clear the hook of the clothes hanger.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device which may be readily installed even in small establishments and in which the fluid under pressure already in the establishment may be used for raising the bag and for lowering the bag over clothes which have been applied to the usual type of hanger.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple yet efficient device for raising the bag and for supporting a suit of clothes or dress on a hanger below the lower end of the elevated bag whereby the operator with one hand may control fluid under pressure through the elevating means while the other hand may be employed for centering a bag over the clothes or dresses while the bag is being automatically lowercd onto the clothes.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modifications as define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a device for placing bags over clothes,

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the device,

Figure 3 is a side view in elevation of one leg of a U-shaped member for guiding the elevating means,

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a sleeve and a bag-holding clip,

Figure 5 is a side view in elevation of the bagsupporting .clip shown in Fig. 1, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section of the piston which is operated by fuel under pressure.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, designates a base member into which is threaded at it a supporting sleeve l2.

A nut i3 is threaded onto the upper end of the sleeve l2 and a collar M which has been sweated onto the lower end or" a cylinder l has a threaded engagement at It with the upper reduced end of the nut l3. A screen ii is located. between the nut l3 and a shoulder formed in teriorly of the collar l4 and the ends I8 of this screen form a gasket to prevent the escape of fluid between the nut 53 and the collar it.

A vent it of small diameter acts as a bleed for fluid as will be presently explained. The fluid is supplied by means of a pipe which is connected with an inlet passage 2| formed in the nut it. The passages i9 and 2! are in communication with the hollow sleeve l2. This pipe is connected with a source of compressed air and the flow of air through the pipe to the sleeve 32 is controlled by means of a manually operated valve 22.

The cylinder l5 is vertically disposed and has a collar 25 sweated onto the upper end thereof. This collar is threaded at 23 to receive a nut 2?. This nut clamps the swaged or flanged end 213 of a hollow leg 29 onto the upper reduced end of the collar 25 so that the leg 29 is not only secured to the cylinder but is supported thereby.

A U-shaped member 3% of which the leg forms a part has a second leg 3i extending from an elbow 32 mounted on one end of a bridging member 33. The other end of the bridging mem her is connected by means of an elbow 34 to the upper end of the hollow leg 29. This last-mentioned leg is provided with a longitudinal slot 35. The lower end of the leg 3i as shown at 3%, is provided with a hook to receive the hook 33' of a clothes hanger which is adapted to support in a neat manner any type of clothes which have been renovated or pressed. The hook 36, as is shown more particularly in Fig. 2, extends below the lower end of the leg 29.

A bar has one end, as shown at 4| threaded into a cross head 42 carried by the upper end of a piston rod 43. This bar extends through the slot and a pin or bolt 44 secures the cross. head 42 to the piston rod 43 and projects through the slot 35.

A piston 45 is slidably mounted within the cylinder l5 and has a cup 46 at its lower end facing the screen IT. The cup may be formed of rubber or leather or any composition material which would prevent the leakage of fluid past the piston. The piston, however, may be formed of metal with the usual piston rings as is well known. In other words, any well known form of piston may be utilized for the purpose.

A hollow member 50 is secured to the outer free end of the bar and a sleeve 5| is secured to the outer end of the member 5| and is slidably mounted on the leg 3| so that when the cross head 42 and the bar 40 are elevated said sleeve will move upwardly or downwardly and be guided by the leg 3|.

A clip 52 of any well known type may be pivotally mounted, as shown at 53, on the outer face of the sleeve 5| and is provided with a manipulating member 54 and a clamping jaw 55. The clamping jaw is spring-pressed and has its edge beveled or the edge may be curved and also beveled to conform to the curvature of the sleeve 5|. However, the clamping jaw must be of a size to neatly clamp the upper ends of a bag 58 to the sleeve. A spring 59 embraces the shaft 8|! mounted in bearings 6| on the outer face of the sleeve 5|.

The operation of my device is as follows: Compressed air is used and the valve 22 is open which allows the air to flow to the chamber in the sleeve l2 and this air acting on the bottom face of the cup forces the piston upwardly whereby the horizontal bar will be moved upwardly by the crosshead 42 as will be the sleeve 5|. It must be borne in mind, however, that before this operation takes place the bag 58 must be connected to the sleeve by means of the retaining clip 52. When the sleeve 5| is elevated the bag 58 likewise will be raised until the lower open end 62 of said bag will be located above the hook 36. The clothes hanger together with the clothes is then placed upon the hook 36. The valve 22 is then closed whence the compressed air will be discharged slowly through the vent |9. The bag will then be carried downwardly by the descending bar 40 and the sleeve 5| and if necessary the operator may grasp the bottom of the bag and guide it over the suit or dress as the case may be.

While it has been stated that compressed air is used it will be appreciated that steam under pressure is well adapted for the same purpose. However, water under pressure may be the most convenient fluid for raising the piston and in that event the nut |3 will be equipped with a valve to permit the discharge of water therefrom. After the valve 22 has been closed the pipe 20 in this case will be connected with a source of water under pressure. In order to reduce the number of operations in connection with the use of water that is, the turning oil of the water and the opening of the discharge valve, a link may be connected between the handle of the valve 22 and the discharge valve ap plied to the nut |3 so that when the link is moved in one direction the valve 22 will be open while the discharge valve will be closed and vice versa.

I claim:

1. A pressed clothes bagger comprising a vertically disposed cylinder, a U-shaped member having a hollow leg supported on the upper end of the cylinder and provided with a longitudinal slot, the other leg having the lower end terminating adjacent the top of the cylinder and provided with a hook for supporting a suit of clothes on a hanger, a piston in the cylinder, a rod extending upwardly from the piston and having the upper end projecting into the first-mentioned leg, a horizontal bar secured at one end to the upper end of the rod and projecting through the slot, a sleeve carried by the other end of the rod and slidably mounted on the second-mentioned leg, a clip secured to the sleeve for attaching a bag to the sleeve so that the hook will be located within the upper end of said bag, and means for supplying the cylinder with fluid under pressure for raising the piston and likewise the U-shaped member.

2. A pressed clothes bagger comprising a U- shaped member having a clothes carrying hook on the lower end of one leg, means for supporting the lower end of the other leg above the floor of a building, a sleeve slidable on the first leg and provided with a clip for retaining the upper end of a bag on said sleeve, a movable means in the supporting means and the other leg of the U-shaped member for elevating the sleeve, a bar connecting the sleeve with that part of the movable means which is located in said other leg, and means for causing the movable means to be elevated.

3. A pressed clothes bagger comprising an inverted U-shaped member, a vertically disposed cylinder, a piston and rod in the cylinder, one leg of the U-shaped member being hollow and connected to the top of the cylinder, a cross head slidable in the hollow leg and connected to the rod, said leg having a slot, a bar secured at one end to the crosshead and projecting through the slot, a sleeve on the other end of the bar and slidable on the other leg of the U- shaped member, the last-mentioned leg having a supporting means for a hanger for clothes means on the sleeve for removably connecting 2 bag thereto, means for supplying fluid undel pressure to the cylinder for raising the piston and likewise the crosshead, and means for releasing the fluid to permit the sleeve to descend for causing the bag to encompass the clothes.

GEORGE LLEWELLYN WHITLEY. 

